William birch



2 She'ets-Sheet' 1.

(No Model.)

, W.'BIRGH. A APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING SOLID 0R SEMIS-OLID SUBSTANCES FROM SLUDGE OR OTHER FLUID 0R SEMIFLUID MATTERS. No. 582,519.

Patented May 11, 1897.

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W. BIRCH.

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING SOLID 0R SBMISOLID SUBSTANCES FROM SLUDGE OR OTHER FLUID OR-SEMIFLUID MATTERS.

No 582,519. Patented May 11, 1897.

W'lTNESSES |NVENTOR M i 5 m me Name virus on, momurno" wnnmu'mm 11c.

be rigid edgewise.

UNITED STATES FFICE;

PATENT.

\VILLIAM BIRCH, OF MANCHESTER, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING SOLID OR SEMISOLID SUBSTANCES FROM SLU DGE OR OTHER FLUID SEMIFLUID MATTERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 582,519, dated May 11, 1897. Application filed May 19, 1896. Serial No. 592,220. (No model.)

, To all whomit 7mm concern.

Be it known that I, TVILLIAM BIRCH, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Lower Broughton, Manchester, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented Improved Apparatus for Separating Solid or Semisolid Substances from Sludge or other Fluid or Semifluid Matters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements upon the apparatus for which Letters Patent No. 514,300 were granted to me in the United States of America, dated February 6, 1894, for separating solid or semisolid substances from sludge or other fluid or semifiuid mat ters; and the principal objects of my present invention are to dispense with the angular guide-rollers described in the above specification, to provide simple and effective means for counteracting the tendency of the endless pressing and filterin band employed therein from running to and over the edge of the drum which expresses the fluid from the sludge between it and the said band, such tendency arising from the unavoidably uneven diameter formed across the width of fabric by the sludge as it is being pressed, and, further, to shake off any solid matter adhering to the pressing and filtering band, so that little or no such solid matter is carried up over the tension-roller and the band is kept porous.

My invention will be readily understood from the following description on reference to the annexed drawings, of which- Figure l is a front elevation, and Fig. 2 a side elevation, of so much of my apparatus as is necessary to illustrate the present invention. Fig. 1 is a detached face view of a portion of the striking mechanism, hereinafter more particularly referred to.

According to this invention I mount the pressing-drum b loosely on its axle c, and I fasten squarely across the filtering-band a a series of transverse laths a of suitable strength, made of lancewood or other similar resilient material and of sufficient width to The ends of these laths a project beyond the edges of the band a and of the sludge-pressing drum b, at either end of which is awheel or pulley b, keyed on the axle c of the pressing-drum and carrying a series of 'slidin g rods 12 or catches, projecting therefrom so as to act in turn, as hereinafter described, against the underneath edge of one of the above-described laths a and carry the band a and the pressing-drum b with it as the Wheel or pulley b rotates with its shaft 0 until the sliding rod or catch 19 is withdrawn from the lath by means of a fixed incline b acting against bowls b on the rods or catches W, or other equivalent means. These rods or catches 5 return by their own weight as they rotate into position to act against the laths, or they maybe returned into such position by springs or otherwise.

The rods or catches b are set in corresponding positions on pulleys Z7 at either end of the pressing-drum b, as seen at Fig. 2, so that when the filtering-band a is straight the laths a are driven from both ends; but if one edge of the band a runs at all in advance of the other the laths a are inclined, as seen dotted on Fig. 2, and the hinder end of each lath a is driven by its catch-wheel, and by this means the laths a will be gradually worked straight again, thereby counteracting any uneven action of the filter-band a.

The laths a as they are passing back from the tension-roller cl to the pressing-drum Z) are guided between fixed plates 01, (see Fig. 2,) which in guiding the ends of the laths to serve to keep the cloth a in place upon the pressing-drum b.

I furthermore drive the endless band h, carrying the scrapers 'i, which passes across the upper surface of the sludge-pressing drum 1), by means of bevel or miter wheels h on a vertical shaft 7L2, similarly driven from the main driving-shaft c, and I thus obtain a rapid continuous motion of the said scrapers 73.

In order to shake off any solid matter adhering to the filtering-band a after it leaves the pressing-drumb and to prevent such solid matter from passing over the tension roller or drum (1 and retain the porosity of the band a, I use a transverse bar It, held close to the said band a by levers It and springs and caused to strike the said band a by pegs, bowls, 0r fingers b projecting from the Wheels Z) and acting against projections on the levers kto withdraw the bar is. The fulcra of the levers k are at la and the projections k are left by the pegs, bowls, or fingers b as the wheels I) rotate and the springs 10 bring the bar k into forcible contact with the band a, thereby causing any solid matter adhering to the latter to be shaken therefrom and to fall back upon the drum 1) for removal by the scrapers '5.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of an endless filteringband, with laths secured thereto and projectin g beyond the edges thereof, a pressing-drum, wheels or pulleys carrying catches at either side of the drum to act on the said laths, sub stantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of an endless filteringband, with laths secured thereto and projecting beyond the edges thereof, apressing-drum and Wheels or pulleys at either side of the pressing-drum, the said wheels carrying sliding catches to act on the said laths, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination of the endless filteringband having laths secured thereto and projectin g beyond the edge thereof, and a pressing-drum, with guide-plates for the said laths, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination of a pressing-drum and endless filtering-band, with an endless chain of scrapers, a main driving-shaft and means for imparting to the scrapers from the main driving-shaft, a rapid continuous 1notion,substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of a pressing-drum and an endless pressing and filtering band coop- WILLIAM BIRCH.

Witnesses:

CHARLES A. DAVIES, J NO. HUGHES. 

